Page 95 of The Secret of Flirting
Gregory laid out the entirety of his plan for Hart. Then he asked, “What do you think? Will it work?”
“I’m not sure. If it does, it could solve everything. But it relies on a number of factors beyond your control.”
“I realize that.” For a moment, terror gripped him at the idea of all the ways this could go wrong, of the possibility that in four days he would be watching his life go up in flames.
He shook off the thought. “But I know you’ll do your part as best you can.”
“Absolutely.” Hart reached over to grip his shoulder. “You gave me a chance years ago, and I’ve never forgotten it. I’ll do everything in my power to giveyoua chance.”
“Thanks.”
Just then, Gregory’s mother returned with Lady Ursula, who looked rather tired in her nightdress and wrapper.
Gregory rose. “Thank you, Mother. You can go to bed now.”
“The devil I will!” She crossed her arms over her bosom. “I haven’t had this much excitement in years, and you’re not going to pack me off like some child while you plot and scheme.”
He should have known he wouldn’t be able to keep her in the dark forever. “Fine, you can stay.” He pointed to the settee. “But only if you keep quiet until I’m done with Lady Ursula and Hart.” Then he turned to the lady-in-waiting. “Madam, I need you to tell Hart exactly where the count has hidden Princess Aurore in Calais.”
As Mother blinked at that, Lady Ursula’s face lit up. “I’ll travel with him and show him.”
“No, you will not,” he said firmly. “It’s bad enough thatImust leave to take care of certain matters in London. I can excuse myself as needing to handle an emergency regarding the conference. But ifyouleave, who have no excuse for doing so, it will spark too much speculation. It’s imperative that no one else know of Hart’s mission—not the count, not Prince Leopold, no one—and that means you must stay here. Do you understand?”
She bobbed her head. “It’s not as if Prince Leopold and I are very friendly these days. I think he blames me for Aurore’s refusal of his suit. He probably expected me to influence her to accept.”
“Ah.” That explained why Leopold had treated her so coldly.
Taking some paper and a pencil from a writing desk, he handed them to her. “Write it down. Draw a map if you have to.”
It didn’t take her long. And as soon as she was done, Hart headed off. Gregory sent Lady Ursula back up to bed, but there was no getting rid of his mother until she learned exactly what was going on.
He’d been dreading this, but she needed to know, given that her life might be upended, too. He sat on the settee next to her.
Before he could even begin, she asked, “Is this about Danworth?”
He tensed. “What makes you think that?”
“Because the day after you warned me of people asking about your father’s death, Danworth struck up a conversation with me about it. He made some comment about how hard it must have been for you to see your father die so tragically. I told him in no uncertain terms that you were away at school.”
Hmm. What if Danworth had been bluffing about that shopkeeper? What if he’d attempted to get the truth out of Mother and hadn’t succeeded, so he’d just made something up?
“Thanks for telling me, Mother. Yes, it has to do with Danworth. And as I guess you’ve deduced, it also concerns a different princess from the one who is here—although Danworth doesn’t seem to know that. Here’s the thing...”
It took him a while to tell her everything. When he was done, she seemed surprisingly calm.
“Someone was bound to find out the truth someday. I suppose we’re lucky we’ve managed to hide it for this long.”
“My planwillwork, Mother,” he said. “All I’m asking is that you continue to keep quiet unless forced into testifying in court. But I honestly don’t think it will come to that.”
“I hope not.” She patted his hand. “You’re a good son.”
They sat a moment in silence. Then she dragged in a heavy breath. “So you mean to marry this actress/princess, do you?”
That put him instantly on his guard. “I do.”
“Does she love you?”
“She says she does,” he said, his voice more unsteady than he would have liked.
